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The impact of No-Deal Brexit

A brief extract with regard to some aspects that may impact on exporting to and importing from UK:

Customs and the exports of goods

If the Withdrawal Agreement is not ratified, all relevant EU legislation on imported goods and exported goods will apply as of the withdrawal date. This includes the levying of duties and taxes and the respect of the formalities and controls required by the current legal framework, in order to ensure a level playing field.
If the Withdrawal Agreement is not ratified, the export of dual-use items from the EU to the United Kingdom, as of the withdrawal date, will require individual licenses. Dual-use items are goods, software and technology that can be used for both civilian and military applications.

Road haulage

If the Withdrawal Agreement is not ratified, road haulage between the EU and the United Kingdom will be severely restricted and limited to an international system of limited quotas. The Commission has today adopted a measure to ensure basic connectivity. This will allow operators from the United Kingdom temporarily to carry goods into the Union, provided the United Kingdom confers equivalent rights to Union road haulage operators and subject to conditions ensuring fair competition

Air transport

If the Withdrawal Agreement is not ratified, air traffic between the EU and the United Kingdom will be interrupted as of the withdrawal date. The Commission has today adopted two temporary measures to avoid full interruption of air traffic between the Union and the United Kingdom and to ensure basic connectivity:

A proposal for a Regulationv to ensure temporarily, for 12 months, the provision of certain air services between the United Kingdom and the EU27 Member States, allowing air carriers from the United Kingdom to fly across the territory of the Union without landing, make stops in the territory of the Union for non-traffic purposes, and perform scheduled and non-scheduled international passenger and cargo air transport services. This is subject to the United Kingdom conferring equivalent rights to air carriers from the Union, as well as to the United Kingdom ensuring conditions of fair competition.

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EU Trade Agreement with Japan

The EU has finalised negotiations for a trade agreement with Japan. The remaining formalities are expected to be done in time for the agreement to become effective as soon as 1 February 2019.

EU firms already export over €58bn in goods and €28bn in services to Japan every year.
But European firms face trade barriers when exporting to Japan which make it hard for them to compete.

The trade agreement with Japan will:

remove these barriers;

help us shape global trade rules in line with our high standards and shared values;

send a powerful signal that two of the world's biggest economies reject protectionism.

In 2013 EU governments instructed the European Commission to start negotiations with Japan. On 6 July 2017 the European Union and Japan reached an agreement in principle on the main elements of the agreement.

On 8 December 2017, the negotiations were finalised. The European Parliament gave its consent in December 2018, clearing the way for the trade agreement's conclusion and entry into force.

The entry into force of the Strategic Partnership Agreement also requires the ratification by EU countries, but a large part of the agreement can be provisionally applied in early 2019.

RE: EU Trade Agreements

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CE Marking Requirements and Steps

In order to sell your products within EU and the European Economic Area (EEA), the products should bear the CE mark. The following texts are extracts from the EU website on CE marking:

By affixing the CE marking to a product, a manufacturer declares that the product meets all the legal requirements for CE marking and can be sold throughout the EEA. This also applies to products made in other countries that are sold in the EEA.

If you are a manufacturer, you have to follow these six steps to affix a CE marking to your product:

These six steps may differ by product as the conformity assessment procedure varies. Manufacturers must not affix CE marking to products that don’t fall under the scope of one of the directives providing for its affixing.

For products that present higher safety risks such as gas boilers or chainsaws, safety cannot be checked by the manufacturer alone. In these cases, an independent organisation, specifically a notified body appointed by national authorities, has to perform the safety check. The manufacturer may affix the CE marking to the product only once this has been done.

Importers and distributors help ensure that only products compliant with EU legislation and bearing the CE marking are placed on the extended Single Market of the EEA. As they are the intermediaries between manufacturers and traders, they must have overall knowledge of the legal requirements and make sure that the products they distribute or import meet them.

Importers
When importing from non-EU countries, importers must check that products fulfil all EU safety, health and environmental protection requirements before placing them on the market. The importer has to verify that:·the manufacturer outside the EU has taken the necessary steps to allow the product to be placed on the EU market·the necessary documentation such as the EU Declaration of Conformity (27 KB) and the technical documentation is available upon request·contact with the manufacturer is possible at any time

Distributors
Distributors must handle the product carefully and they mustn’t affect its compliance with EU legislation. The distributor has to know which products must bear the CE marking and the accompanying documentation. They should be able to identify products that are not in compliance.
Distributors must be able to demonstrate to national authorities that they:·have confirmation from the manufacturer or the importer that the necessary measures have been taken·are able to assist national authorities in their efforts to receive the required documentation
If importers or distributors market the products under their own names, they take over the manufacturer’s responsibilities. In this case, they must have sufficient information on the design and production of the product because they will be assuming the legal responsibility when affixing the CE marking.

·Partnership and Cooperation Agreementsoprovide a general framework for bilateral economic relationsoleave customs tariffs as they are

Agreements in place (as of November 2018):·Albania (Western Balkans), Stabilisation and Association Agreement In force since 2009·Algeria, Association Agreement, In force since 01/09/2005·Andorra, Customs Union, In force since 01/01/1991·Armenia, Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, In force since 09/09/1999·Bosnia and Herzegovina (Western Balkans), Stabilisation and Association Agreement, In force since 01/06/2015·Botswana (SADC), Economic Partnership Agreement, In force since 05/02/2018·Chile, Association Agreement and Additional Protocol, In force since 01/03/2005·Egypt, Association Agreement, In force since 01/06/2004·Eswatini (SADC) Economic, Partnership Agreement, In force since 05/02/2018·Faroe Islands, Agreement, In force since 01/01/1997·Georgia, Association Agreement, In force since 01/07/2016·Iceland, Economic Area Agreement, In force since 1994·Israel, Association Agreement, In force since 01/06/2000·Jordan, Association Agreement, In force since 01/05/2002·Kosovo (UNSCR 1244), Stabilisation and Association Agreement, In force since 01/04/2016·Lebanon, Association Agreement, In force since 01/04/2006·Lesotho (SADC), Economic Partnership Agreement, In force since 05/02/2018·Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of (Western Balkans), Stabilisation and Association Agreement, In force since 01/04/2004·Mexico, Global Agreement, In force since 01/10/2000·Moldova, Association Agreement, In force since 01/07/2016·Montenegro (Western Balkans), Stabilisation and Association Agreement, In force since 01/05/2010·Morocco, Association Agreement, In force since 01/03/2000·Mozambique (SADC), Economic Partnership Agreement, In force since 05/02/2018·Namibia (SADC), Economic Partnership Agreement, In force since 05/02/2018·Norway, Economic Area Agreement, In force since 1994·Palestinian Authority, Interim Association Agreement, In force since 01/07/1997·Russia, Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, In force since 01/12/1997·San Marino, Customs Union, In force since 01/04/2002·Serbia (Western Balkans), Stabilisation and Association Agreement, In force since 01/09/2013·South Africa, Economic Partnership Agreement, In force since 05/02/2018·South Korea, Free Trade Agreement, In force since 01/07/2016·Switzerland, Agreement, In force since 01/01/1973·Syria, Co-operation Agreement, In force since 01/07/1977·Tunisia, Association Agreement, In force since 01/03/1998·Turkey, Customs Union, In force since 31/12/1995